Govt endorsements, tech sovereignty push boost Zoho product adoption

In July, Mumbai-headquartered oil refiner and retailer Nayara Energy abruptly lost access to its data, proprietary tools, and products after Microsoft suspended critical services. The US tech giant acted in compliance with EU sanctions, given Nayara’s backing by Russia’s Rosneft Oil Company.

Although Microsoft restored services following a legal petition, the episode sharpened concerns over India’s dependence on foreign technology and added momentum to the government’s digital sovereignty drive. In its wake, New Delhi has stepped up efforts to promote homegrown alternatives — with Zoho emerging as a leading beneficiary.

Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has publicly switched to using Zoho’s office-suite tools for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, framing it as a deliberate shift towards Swadeshi platforms. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on September 22, he wrote: “I am moving to Zoho — our own Swadeshi platform … I urge all to join PM Shri @narendramodi Ji’s call for Swadeshi by adopting indigenous products & services.”

Vaishnaw underscored the transition during a Cabinet briefing, pointing out that the presentation was prepared not on Microsoft PowerPoint but with Zoho Show, the company’s online presentation offering. 

Most recently, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan endorsed Arattai, Zoho’s instant messaging app, describing it as “free, easy-to-use, secure, safe and Made in India.” Urging citizens to adopt indigenous platforms in line with the Swadeshi push, he positioned Arattai as a viable alternative to WhatsApp. The endorsement triggered a surge in popularity, with downloads in India jumping 185 times and daily active users rising 40 times week-on-week, according to Hindu Businessline.

Co-founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu said that the company is adding infrastructure on an emergency basis, needed to cater to the humongous surge in user count. 

These are not isolated incidents. Zoho, in the past, too, has received endorsement from key government entities. In March, the Tenkasi-based SaaS firm won the Indian Web Browser Development Challenge under the Centre’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Organised by MeitY, the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA), and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), the contest awarded Zoho ₹1 crore for building an indigenous web browser — a move the government described as a step towards self-reliance, fostering innovation and strengthening digital independence.

These recognitions have fanned Zoho’s ambitions further as it looks to bring to fruition some long-range projects such as compilers, databases, OS, security, hardware, chip design and robotics, among others, as mentioned by Vembu in a social media post. 

Zoho, founded in 1996 by Vembu, develops a wide range of cloud-based software products for businesses, covering CRM, productivity tools, finance, HR, IT management, and collaboration. The company has over 60 products, including Zoho CRM, Zoho Workplace (Docs, Sheets, Show), and Zoho Mail.

In July, Zoho announced the launch of its proprietary large language model (LLM) Zia LLM. The company said the LLM is trained specifically for business use cases, with a focus on privacy and governance. 

The company is also doubling down on its deep tech strategy with the acquisition of Kerala‑based deep-tech startup Asimov Robotics to accelerate innovation in robotics and artificial intelligence. Along with the acquisition, Zoho also inaugurated a new campus in Kottarakkara to expand its R&D footprint this year.